Portable bowling-alley.



Patented Oct. 23, I900.

I A. a. ROLLERT.

PORTABLE BOWLING ALLEY.

(Application filed Feb. 14, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 660,460. Patented 061.23, 1900';

A. J. ROLLERT. I

PORTABLE BOWLING ALLEY.

(Application filed Feb. 14, 1900.) i (No Model.) 7 2 Shouts-Sheet 2.

Wttornay ANTON J. ROLLERT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PORTABLE BOWLING-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,460. dated October 23, 1900.

Application filed February 14, 1900. serial No. 5,168; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON J. ROLLERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Bowling-Alleys; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a novel construction in a portable bowling-alley, the object being to provide a device adapted for use in private houses which can be readily set up and properly leveled when desired and which when folded will occupy a comparatively small space; and it consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a bowling-alley constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of same. Fig. 3 is a sectional.

view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. at is asectional view on the line 4 at of Fig. 2.

My device consists of the alley proper, A, provided at its sides with grooves or channels B to receive the balls, said alley being constructed in practically the same manner as a standard alley. The said alley Ais mounted upon hinged supports 0, each comprising two parallel standards connected at their upper and lower ends by cross-pieces D and E and between the latter by means of a crosspiece F, provided in the middle of its upper edge with a V-shaped recess G, said recesses being adapted to receive the members H and I of a ball-return trough. Said cross-pieces E project outwardly from said supports at each side and are provided in said projecting portions with'screw'threaded openings adapted to receive thumb-screws J, upon the lower ends of which said standards are supported. The said thumb-screws afford ready means foradjusting or leveling the alley. The said crosspiece F of said rearmost support is mounted at a point near the upper end of same, of the middle support about midway between the cross-pieces D and E, and of the foremost adjaoent the lower end, so that said members H and I of thereturn-trough are inclined down- Wardly from their rear to their forward ends. Adjacent each of said supports C said alley A is provided with a cross-piece K, which serves both to stiffen the alley and to form astop to prevent said supports from turning sufficiently far to strain the hinges. Said foremost support C swings in a direction opposite to the otbersupports, this being obviously necessary. Said member H of said returntrough lies in the recesses G of the cross-pieces F of the two foremost supports 0 and is provided on its bottom with projections L, adapted to engage the opposed faces of said crosspieces of said foremost and middle supports, so that the latter are held against swinging, while the member I overlaps the rear end of said member II and rests in the recess G of the rearmost support, being provided with similar stops L, engaging the rear end of the member H and the inner face of the crosspiece F of said rearmost support. At its rear end said alley A carries a box or receptacle M, provided with a bottom N, inclined downwardly toward its rear end and having its rearmost corners suitably raised, as at 0, so as to guide the balls toward the middle of the rear wall of said box, where an opening P is provided, through which said balls pass and drop into the rear end portion of the member I of said trough, which they follow until they reach the forward end of the member H and are stopped by the stop Q. Said rear end of said member I is also provided with a stop R, which serves to prevent the balls from rolling off the end before their impetus is broken. Removably hung in said box or receptacle M by means of pins S, entering recesses T in the side walls thereof, is a padded apron U,which when struck by a ball swings rearwardly and permits said ball to pass, but serves likewise to prevent the pins from entering the space behind same, the pins, beinglighter than said balls,being generally thrown squarely against said pad and by rebounding alightin the space in front of said apron, but do not rebound suflicien tly to strike the pins remaining standing upon the alley. A line WV is marked across the alley at its forward end where said grooves or channels B terminate, said line forming the foul-line, which must not be crossed by any part of the body of player. The portion of said alley in front of said line W forms a starting-platform.

The game is played in the same manner and governed by the same rules as the standard bowling-alley.

When not in use, the trough members H and I are removed and the support 0 folded fiat against the bottom of the alley A. The entire device can then be set up against the wall, where it is practically out of the way.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In a bowling-alley, the combination with an alley provided with hinged supports, and adapted to receive and support a ball-return trough,of said trough,and stops on said trough adapted to engage said supports to hold same rigid with relation to each other and to said alley.

2. In a bowling-alley, the combination with an alley provided at its rear end with a receptacle for balls and pins, of a swinging apron extending transversely across said receptacle between the ends of the latter and adapted to divide said receptacle into two chambers, one of which is adapted to receive pins and the other of which is adapted to receive the balls, said apron being of less length than the depth of said receptacle to provide a free space below the same for the passage of balls, said apron being adapted to act as a butler against which said pins are thrown and from which they recoil and fall into one of said chambers.

3. In a bowling-alley, the combination with an alley provided at its rear end with a receptacle for balls, said receptacle having an inclined bottom and an opening in its rear wall to which balls are adapted to be guided by said inclined bottom, of supports for said alley, an inclined ballreturn trough carried by said supports underneath said alley and adapted to receive balls passing through said opening and return same to a point below theforward end of said alley and stops on said retnrn-trough adapted to engage said supports to hold the latter rigidly in position with relation to said alley.

4. In a bowling-alley, the combination with an alley provided at its rear end with a receptacle for balls, said receptacle having an in clined bottom and an opening in its rear wall to which balls are adapted to be guided by said inclined bottom, and a swinging apron pivoted in the side walls of said receptacle between the ends of the latter and adapted to divide said receptacle into two chambers, one of which receives the pins and the other of which receives the balls, 01": supports for said alley, and an inclined ball-return trough carried by said supports underneath said alley and adapted to receive balls passing through said opening and return same to a point adjacent the forward end of same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANTON J. ROLLERT.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH WM. LOTZ, E. F. WILsoN. 

